Japanese businesses increased capital investment at a faster pace in the first quarter of this year just as U.S. President Donald Trump's administration touted the coming tariff campaign that kicked off in March.
Capital expenditure on goods excluding software gained 1.8% in the three months through March from the previous quarter, when such outlays rose by 1.3%, the Finance Ministry reported Monday. The reading compares with a 1.4% gain in corporate investment reported in the preliminary reading of Japan’s gross domestic product. The latest data will be factored into a revised GDP report due for release on June 9.
Compared with a year ago, investment including software increased 6.4%, beating the median estimate of a 3.8% gain. Profits rose 3.8% from a year earlier and sales advanced 4.3%.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.